The Indians need to bid adieu to Chief Wahoo
Thirty years ago, the Atlanta Braves said farewell to Chief Noc-A-Homa. He was the team’s “Indian” mascot who would emerge from a teepee in the bleachers and perform a dance whenever the Braves hit a home run.
Fans with a long-running affection for Chief Noc-A-Homa argued the mascot was a good-luck talisman for the team, contending when Noc-A-Homa was absent from home games, the team would lose. Setting aside superstition and bowing to the reality Chief Noc-A-Homa was an anachronistic throwback to less enlightened days when American Indians were subject to discrimination and demeaning stereotypes, Chief Noc-A-Homa was handed his walking papers in 1986.
And it didn’t hurt the team. Within five years of Noc-A-Homa’s exit, the Braves went to the World Series, and did so four more times in the 1990s. They were National League division winners every year from 1991 to 2005. All without Chief Noc-A-Homa.
It’s time for the Cleveland Indians to do the same with Chief Wahoo.
With Major League Baseball starting its season this week, the management of the Indians announced the Chief Wahoo logo – a grinning, big-nosed cartoon Indian – will be featured less prominently on team uniforms and merchandise. It’s the latest step the team took to put Chief Wahoo out to pasture – the logo was already removed from the team’s batting helmet and road cap. A block letter “C” has become more prominent, with Chief Wahoo relegated to the team’s uniform sleeves.
It seems the Indians are steadily trying to wean fans off Chief Wahoo. But, to mix metaphors a little bit, they should rip the Band-Aid off quickly and completely scrap Chief Wahoo. While not the most pressing issue in the United States, or even in professional sports, it is undeniably offensive to some people. While part of the team’s heritage, it is time for the Cleveland Indians to fully enter the 21st century.
And considering the team has not won a World Series since 1948, and has not gone to a World Series since 1997, maybe saying farewell to Chief Wahoo will bring the Indians some luck, just like bidding adieu to Chief Noc-A-Homa did for the Braves.